Media policy on armed forces
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's disclosure that the government was formulating a media policy for defence forces is something we should watch out (The Daily Star, November 23). Democratic tenets afford us the right to information on any public institution, be that the Supreme Court or the armed forces, and efforts designed to shield such institutions from fair scrutiny through laws would be undemocratic and counterproductive. As with any civilized nation, there would be occasional questions about professional competence of the forces, but that does not mean that the non-uniformed are less patriotic and have 'vested interest.' The Economist in its November 5 issue observed that “Bangladesh's defence preparedness is woeful vis-a- vis its Myanmar counterpart, and it's only natural for us to ask why such is the case. You only duck behind laws if you have no answer; impact on 'morale' is a poor argument.
Let's hope that the law the government is working on is not a draconian one designed to offer much comfort to a particular segment of society. We are quite aware about the need for 'secrecy' that surrounds defence forces anywhere, but it is qualified and therefore not unlimited.
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